It is a drama that will have moved France and forever marked the city of Angers. On Saturday, October 15, 2016, shortly before midnight, while a student party was in full swing on the fourth floor of a building in the city center, the balcony collapsed, taking in its fall the two balconies on the lower floors. The balance sheet is extremely heavy. Four dead (Lou, 18, Antoine, 21, Benjamin, 23, Baptiste, 25) and fourteen injured. Whose fault is it ? The multiple testimonies having established that the participants in the evening had not shown inappropriate behavior, all eyes are therefore turned towards the builders. They are the ones who are being tried from this Wednesday, by the Angers criminal court, during a trial that will last a month. Update on the issues.
What are the exact causes of the accident?
Five people are prosecuted: the architect, the former manager of the structural work company (Bonnel company), the works supervisor, the site manager and the technical controller. They are accused of shortcomings in the design and construction process of the building dating from 1998. Four successive expert appraisals have indeed revealed the existence of serious defects: the concrete was too porous, the load-bearing reinforcements had been badly mounted, the waterproofing was faulty and the balconies had been poured on site when they were originally supposed to be prefabricated. “The negligence was very, very heavy”, summarizes Nathalie Valade, lawyer for civil parties. “The experts who spoke are recognized internationally. We know almost everything about what happened, ”says Louis-René Penneau, lawyer for 32 civil parties. The defense does not dispute the “errors” but evokes other potential causes that led to the tragedy, such as a lack of warning or a lack of maintenance.
Will the responsibilities be assumed?
During the investigation, the defendants had difficulty assuming their responsibility, often taking refuge behind technical explanations. “They blamed each other. This is something that is very difficult for the victims to accept,” laments Louis-René Penneau. The foreman nevertheless admitted wrongdoing, explaining that the change in the method of construction of the balconies had been decided to save 14 weeks of time on the site. The former head of the Bonnel company, Patrick Bonnel, denies having made savings at the risk of weakening security. His company was carrying out more than fifty sites per month at the time. “He is having a very bad time with the situation and will fully assume the responsibility that is his,” said his lawyer, Thierry Fillion, today. This is obviously the only time in forty years of career as a business leader that such a tragedy happens. For his part, the architect’s lawyer Frédéric Rolland argues that his client had “not personally intervened in the project” of the building at the time of the facts. “We are dealing with recognized professionals, for certain media. If they come to tell us that they have done their job correctly, it would be worrying, ”objects Louis-René Penneau, lawyer for the civil parties.
Was there a lack of warning and maintenance?
A few months before the tragedy, a former tenant had reported cracks and weaknesses in the balcony. Elements which, after the accident, had led some lawyers to request additional investigations during the investigation. Request which had been rejected. Despite this refusal, the defense will try to put back to the debate, during the trial, the question of the interview and the alert. “There was obviously a lack of warning in the years following the construction of the building,” said Thierry Fillion, lawyer for Patrick Bonnel. “There are very specific elements that suggest that there was a lack of maintenance and that perhaps, if the maintenance had been done well, with in particular a resumption of poor workmanship related to the balcony, this drama would not have occurred. This is a point that cannot be avoided. It must be debated because it is part of the search for truth. For Louis-René Penneau, conversely, it is a diversion. “The lack of maintenance has been ruled out, it is no longer an issue. This balcony had been constructed in a totally inept manner. Regardless of the interview, he would have collapsed at one point or another. »
What penalties will be imposed?
The five defendants are being prosecuted for manslaughter and involuntary injury. Heads for which they incur penalties ranging from a simple fine of 1,500 euros for the slightest injuries to three years of criminal imprisonment and a fine of 45,000 euros for homicides. “We want their guilt recognized. Beyond that, we have no particular expectation, ”reports Nathalie Valade, lawyer for civil parties. The question of the prohibition to practice in a professional capacity, an additional penalty provided for by the legislator, is however desired by several victims and families. “It is normal that the question arises. It’s complicated to think that all these professionals continue to carry out their activity as if nothing had happened. It is hoped that this drama and this trial will serve as a lesson for the profession. It’s not because we guarantees a building for 10 years that it must be able to collapse after 20 years. »
Will the words of victims and survivors be able to be released?
The first days of the trial will also be an opportunity to free the voices of victims and survivors. And to explain how, even five years later, the accident continues to haunt them. “We have photos on file which show that, immediately after the collapse, we were faced with a real scene of war. It was dreadful. It leaves traces for life, ”says lawyer Nathalie Valde. “We find ourselves with families destroyed,” said Julien Ferchaud, 44, uncle of Baptiste, one of the four young people who died. My brother, I don’t think he’ll ever recover. We were all marked very strongly. “We fully respect the pain of the civil parties, comments Thierry Fillon, Patrick Bonnel’s lawyer. The damages mentioned are indisputable. But we hope we’ll be here for a trial and not for revenge. »